Cue Identification/Anti Theft Device

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruce S. de Lis
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Bruce S. de Lis

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I have been wondering if anyone has ever consider the possibility if placing a Small Cylindrical Tube (Like a Soda Straw) made of maybe Titanium or other Hard Strong Metal into the Butt of a Cue under the Butt Cap.

Into this Tube the Cue’s Owner identification could be Type out on a Small Piece of Paper, Rolled up, and inserted into the Tube.

Should the Cue turn up after being stolen, if the DUMB CROOK was not aware of such a security device.

Ownership of the cue could be established quick on the Spot if Law Enforcement was calleded to settle an Ownership Dispute.

I am not sure how much the Tiny Tube would weigh but Titanium is very Light & Very Strong.

Would think if this was a possible solution to help Establish Ownership of Cue, it could be something some one could do as a Side Business if they has access to a Lathe to Drill Cue Butts, and Insert the Titanium Tubes.

Keep hearing stories of Guys getting their Cues Ripped Off.... :(
 
Well, it's not a secret if everybody that could read this thread knows it.
I'm sure that there are some cuemakers that have a secret way of identifying their cues in case of theft.
But your idea is a good one Bruce. And the "average crook" wouldn't probably think to look there.
 
Bruce S. de Lis said:
I have been wondering if anyone has ever consider the possibility if placing a Small Cylindrical Tube (Like a Soda Straw) made of maybe Titanium or other Hard Strong Metal into the Butt of a Cue under the Butt Cap.

Into this Tube the Cue’s Owner identification could be Type out on a Small Piece of Paper, Rolled up, and inserted into the Tube.

Should the Cue turn up after being stolen, if the DUMB CROOK was not aware of such a security device.

Ownership of the cue could be established quick on the Spot if Law Enforcement was calleded to settle an Ownership Dispute.

I am not sure how much the Tiny Tube would weigh but Titanium is very Light & Very Strong.

Would think if this was a possible solution to help Establish Ownership of Cue, it could be something some one could do as a Side Business if they has access to a Lathe to Drill Cue Butts, and Insert the Titanium Tubes.

Keep hearing stories of Guys getting their Cues Ripped Off.... :(
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You could easily put a slug of some kind in the center of the cue with a number on it that could be read under x-ray. The slug would have to be something that x-ray passes through and the number engraved and metal filled. Those who core their cues could do it real easy just doing it on the core. There are a zillion way it could be done.
 
Bruce S. de Lis said:
I have been wondering if anyone has ever consider the possibility if placing a Small Cylindrical Tube (Like a Soda Straw) made of maybe Titanium or other Hard Strong Metal into the Butt of a Cue under the Butt Cap.

Into this Tube the Cue’s Owner identification could be Type out on a Small Piece of Paper, Rolled up, and inserted into the Tube.

Should the Cue turn up after being stolen, if the DUMB CROOK was not aware of such a security device.

Ownership of the cue could be established quick on the Spot if Law Enforcement was calleded to settle an Ownership Dispute.

I am not sure how much the Tiny Tube would weigh but Titanium is very Light & Very Strong.

Would think if this was a possible solution to help Establish Ownership of Cue, it could be something some one could do as a Side Business if they has access to a Lathe to Drill Cue Butts, and Insert the Titanium Tubes.

Keep hearing stories of Guys getting their Cues Ripped Off.... :(
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great idea. maybe an even better one would be to put some kind of small chip in it. maybe like on star. hell the chips don't have to be that big. My pure bred boston terrier has 1 in his neck in case he gets lost. the aspca or human society or any vet can scan him and tell the chip number and then just call an 800 number and find the owner. hey, why not on a cue. i have heard that some of the more expensive lap tops have a chip that goes on every time it is turned on and that if some one stole said laptop it could be located as soon as it is turned on. well, atleast that is what i have heard can happen.................................................mike
 
John Parker, of Auerbach custom Cues, engraves the customer's name in the handle portion. The cue can easily be X-RAYED, without destruction of the Cue. John has done this for about 7 years.
 
cueball1950 said:
great idea. maybe an even better one would be to put some kind of small chip in it. maybe like on star. hell the chips don't have to be that big. My pure bred boston terrier has 1 in his neck in case he gets lost. the aspca or human society or any vet can scan him and tell the chip number and then just call an 800 number and find the owner. hey, why not on a cue. i have heard that some of the more expensive lap tops have a chip that goes on every time it is turned on and that if some one stole said laptop it could be located as soon as it is turned on. well, atleast that is what i have heard can happen.................................................mike
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There are cues out there with "chips" similar to the ones used by Vets for our canines identification. I was offered the technology but it was still pretty expesive at the time. I don't sell enough cues in the price point where it would be worthwhile, and did not follow up on it when it was introduced several years ago.

I normally put the name of the owner under the wrap when I build someone a cue or re-wrap theirs. Low tech but it has gotten quite a few cues returned to their rightful owners over the decades.

just more hot air!

Sherm
 
cuesmith said:
There are cues out there with "chips" similar to the ones used by Vets for our canines identification. I was offered the technology but it was still pretty expensive at the time. I don't sell enough cues in the price point where it would be worthwhile, and did not follow up on it when it was introduced several years ago.

I normally put the name of the owner under the wrap when I build someone a cue or re-wrap theirs. Low tech but it has gotten quite a few cues returned to their rightful owners over the decades.

just more hot air!

Sherm
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Like cueball1950 states, it's as simple as the technology they insert in animals. But what you've pointed out, now that it will be done for another object, the startup costs are high and not worth the money.

What has to be done is a startup company willing to absorb costs now to realize their profits for the future.

Barbara
 
cuesmith said:
There are cues out there with "chips" similar to the ones used by Vets for our canines identification. I was offered the technology but it was still pretty expesive at the time. I don't sell enough cues in the price point where it would be worthwhile, and did not follow up on it when it was introduced several years ago.

I normally put the name of the owner under the wrap when I build someone a cue or re-wrap theirs. Low tech but it has gotten quite a few cues returned to their rightful owners over the decades.

just more hot air!

Sherm
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If you know Jim Yong, give him a call. He has something he has been working on which sounds great. PM me if you need the number.
 
simple attention to paperwork would do. what you are suggesting is probably a third party tag because i can't see cuemakers messing with their' cues' innards.

and what about change of ownership. they would have to open the tube and have the name replaced. certainly, they couldn't do it themselves because if they could, then the tag wouldn't be very secure.

i don't think tagging will ever happen because stolen cues almost never show up in the same area, which makes identifying a stolen cue a very rare occurance, especially if the cue doesn't stand out. and if the cue is unique, the owner should ceratinly have gotten paperwork AND KEPT IT, in the first place.

i have an idea....get a 4 megapixel camera with macro capabilities. take good close-ups and identify your cue by noting a particular pattern in a cue's wood's grain or maybe noting a particular characteristic in the cuemaker's execution(ie.,,,maybe the cuemaker has an edge of a butt window lined up to a certain wood grain. but chances are, you'll never see the stolen cue again anyway, and it would be a fluke if you did.
 
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One of the Problems with the Pet Finder Chip, and Engraving that must be X-rayed to see the marking, or read the Pet Chip.

Law Enforcement in many cases is LAZY. Plus the Cue would have to be confiscated, and taken to a Vet Hospital for the Chip to be Read, or a Place where the Cue could be X-Rayed.

This I think would be a Pain for Law Enforcement, plus many Cops would say its Civil, work it out, or we do not have the Time or Facilities to got to a Vet, or X-Ray Facility to mess with this.

The Idea of pooping off the Butt Cap, and Removing the Small Piece of Paper that say this Cue belong to:

Big John, who lives at, in such and such city is on the sport proof of ownership.

Plus the Person in procession of a Stolen Cue would be possibly hooked up and taken to Jail, as a lot of Cues are worth an amount of money to make Cue Theft a FELONY.

Is my idea 100%, Perfect. But most Cue thieves are not Rocket Scientists, and I am sure would not remove the Butt Cap to look for the Tube.

Think the majority of Cues that are ripped off, get pawned, taken to another Pool Room for some Fast Cash for ?

Best Solution is to Watch your Stuff 110% of the Time, but that is always not feasible. Plus beware of Strangers who appear just a little to interested in your Cue, Case, etc.
 
There's a property ID system that has been developed and marketed in the UK for a while that looks like it would be perfect for cues called "Smartwater". It is applied as a clear liquid so would be easy to use on a cue without damage or requiring any design changes.

They have personal versions to mark your own property with and a commercial version for manufacturers. Reading the ID only requires a UV light not X-Rays. If they bring this to the USA it looks like it could be an ideal system for cues. They could be marked both by the original manufacturer to ensure authenticity and by the actual owner for theft purposes.
 
Bruce S. de Lis said:
I have been wondering if anyone has ever consider the possibility ...

Keep hearing stories of Guys getting their Cues Ripped Off.... :(
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It's been an idea tossed around for a few years by the cuemakers. The technology is there with RFID (radio frequency identification), simiilar to the fast pay piece you might see at Exxon/Mobile. It's a system used in many industries already. I don't know what kind of cost a cuemaker would have to shell out, but maybe if the customer wants it as an option, a standard can be made.

Fred
 
bruin70 said:
simple attention to paperwork would do. what you are suggesting is probably a third party tag because i can't see cuemakers messing with their' cues' innards.

and what about change of ownership. they would have to open the tube and have the name replaced. certainly, they couldn't do it themselves because if they could, then the tag wouldn't be very secure.

i don't think tagging will ever happen because stolen cues almost never show up in the same area, which makes identifying a stolen cue a very rare occurance, especially if the cue doesn't stand out. and if the cue is unique, the owner should ceratinly have gotten paperwork AND KEPT IT, in the first place.

i have an idea....get a 4 megapixel camera with macro capabilities. take good close-ups and identify your cue by noting a particular pattern in a cue's wood's grain or maybe noting a particular characteristic in the cuemaker's execution(ie.,,,maybe the cuemaker has an edge of a butt window lined up to a certain wood grain. but chances are, you'll never see the stolen cue again anyway, and it would be a fluke if you did.
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It may be a deterrent to a thief if it is common knowledge that cues can be identified. What you say is a good idea for the owner of any cue such as a common production cue they want to be able to identify. It would be like the cues fingerprint.
 
Fred Agnir said:
It's been an idea tossed around for a few years by the cuemakers. The technology is there with RFID (radio frequency identification), simiilar to the fast pay piece you might see at Exxon/Mobile. It's a system used in many industries already. I don't know what kind of cost a cuemaker would have to shell out, but maybe if the customer wants it as an option, a standard can be made.

Fred
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Fred what you say is mostly TRUE, but as a Former L.E.O who work in South Central. I know how Law Enforcement thinks in many cases when called to settle argument over ownership of Property.

All the Hi Tech gadgets, and equipment, readers are not available to all L.E.O. Agencies like we see on C.S.I., Law & Order, N.C.I.S, and the other T. V. Cops Shows.

My Ideas has Flaws in that if the person who steals a Pool Cue is Pool Savvy, they will pop the Butt Cap, Remover the Tube/Paper with the Paper with Info on it that Would Establish Ownership.

Had I been called to a Pool Room by an Owner with wy suggested Device in a Cue, and there was a Dispute over Ownership, and the Owner told me to remove the Butt Cap, (a reasonable request) as there would be a Tube with Ownership Information. I would have said lets look.

Then One of 3 would happen

1. No Tube with Ownership Information. Sorry guys it is Civil thing Exchange Information and got to Court & have a Judge decide.

2. Tube with that could have held Ownership Information, but nothing in the Tube . Sorry guys it is Civil thing Exchange Information and got to Court & have a Judge decide.

3. Tube with Ownership Information in place, Owners Name, Address, Social Security Number the Tube. Guy who say the Cue was his and Stolen is one of Two Parties who call Law Enforcement. Think the Guy who had procession could be going to Jail, and Cue held as Evidence, or Guy with Cue could be asked to return Cue to Owner. Or Or.

Like I said my Proposed System is not Perfect, but it need ZERO HI TECH Gadgets to establish ownership.

I see ZERO REASON if I said a Cue was mine, and another Party was in Procession of it, and a Tube with a Piece of Paper was hidden under the Butt Cap. It would be hard for the person in Procession of MY CUE to explain away how My Personal Info got it the THEIR CUE... ;)
 
Ive found 2 stolen cues in pawn shops. One was two doors down from the pool hall. It was a very limited edition Schoen. The other was a Black.
And of all things to happen a guy walks in the pool hall and announces "who had a cue stolen". It appears that he bought the Joss outside the pool hall for 25 bucks and knew it was stolen. When he said something I told the bartender to call who I thought was the owner, sure enough his cue had been stolen.
Your best bet is to have friends looking out for you.
 
Fred is correct. The company I work for and others make RFID's. Cheap ($2 - $10) depending on amount of storage and range. Simple to read and foolproof.

A friend of mine has his intials engraved on his weight bolt. Cheap and effective.

Nick
 
I would be more than happy to pay for the pet finder type chip to be put into my cue,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its better than beating a cop up when he tells me my Szamboti is just a civil matter
 
A lot of cues now come with a certificate of ownership. I was thinking about issuing a ownership card with a smart chip (the little gold chip) to the buyer. The picture of the cue, the weight and dimension, the serial number of the cue, and the details of the owner will be included. It will look like a credit card so you do not necessarily need to scan it to get the info. The name of the owner and the details of the cue is printed on the card so the police officer can read them very easily.
There will be a card number which is also engraved on the joint pin or somewhere easy to read on the cue, in case of a dispute, the officer can simply match the number on the cue to the number on the ownership card.
The chip and all the other info are provided in case the ownership card is stolen. If the cue is sold to another person, the number remains, but the info in the gold chip can be changed. If it was not done, the officer can still call the original owner of the cue for a verification and the original owner's info will be listed in the chip.
I was talking to a company in Asia and it is really inexpensive to make such cards. A lot of phone cards now employ such smart chips. They are very inexpensive to make.
 
Nick B said:
Fred is correct. The company I work for and others make RFID's. Cheap ($2 - $10) depending on amount of storage and range. Simple to read and foolproof.

A friend of mine has his intials engraved on his weight bolt. Cheap and effective.

Nick
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What is a RFID’s and what is need to Read Em?

“A friend of mine has his intials engraved on his weight bolt. Cheap and effective.”

Plus your Social Security Number would be 1,000 x’s Better.

billfishhead said:
I would be more than happy to pay for the pet finder type chip to be put into my cue,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its better than beating a cop up when he tells me my Szamboti is just a civil matter
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It is 2:00 a.m. in the Morning, who is going to read your Pet Finder Chip?

nipponbilliards said:
A lot of cues now come with a certificate of ownership. I was thinking about issuing a ownership card with a smart chip (the little gold chip) to the buyer. The picture of the cue, the weight and dimension, the serial number of the cue, and the details of the owner will be included. It will look like a credit card so you do not necessarily need to scan it to get the info. The name of the owner and the details of the cue is printed on the card so the police officer can read them very easily.
There will be a card number which is also engraved on the joint pin or somewhere easy to read on the cue, in case of a dispute, the officer can simply match the number on the cue to the number on the ownership card.
The chip and all the other info are provided in case the ownership card is stolen. If the cue is sold to another person, the number remains, but the info in the gold chip can be changed. If it was not done, the officer can still call the original owner of the cue for a verification and the original owner's info will be listed in the chip.
I was talking to a company in Asia and it is really inexpensive to make such cards. A lot of phone cards now employ such smart chips. They are very inexpensive to make.
Click to expand...

I like the above idea from the stand point of a Street Cop being able to comprehend the information with out Hi Tech Gadgets...
 
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